Where Can I Buy Inexpensive DVDs and Blu-ray Movies?

I like the guests in our beach house to feel at home. While you hope for sunny days every day of the rental season you know that a few rainy days will creep in to someone’s vacation. In an effort to ease the blues that often go along with a gloomy day I’ve stocked two shelves in our living room with DVDs and another four shelves with board games.

Over the years a few of our movies have inadvertently gone missing, but overall most people understand that we leave these out for guests and treat them with care. Still after many summers the DVDs have incurred deep scratches that interfere with their ability to be properly viewed.

I’d like to purchase new DVDs or preferably Blu-ray movies for our guests, but I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg to do so. I’ve poked around eBay and even considered driving to a second hand CD/DVD store in our area, but I’m not sure if I’ll find the best prices there.

My husband and I don’t actually buy physical movies to watch at home anymore. We typically rent or buy movies directly from Amazon. In all due honesty I don’t like the clutter of DVD boxes and I’d actually prefer digital media if that’s possible.

We do have a Blu-ray player that is enabled with Amazon at the beach. Renters can watch movies we’ve already purchased, but there are security measures in place to make certain they don’t buy any new ones.

Last year we even maintained a Netflix account for the beach, but the streaming videos simply aren’t as new and up-to-date as the ones you can receive in the mail.

So I’m turning to my helpful readers. Do any of you know where I can buy inexpensive DVDs and Blu-ray movies? (While a few old classics would be nice, I am looking for newer releases.) Also, if you were renting a beach home would you consider the availability of movies important?

I start by checking half.com – I’ve used that site for years and never had an issue with quality. My local used book store has DVDs also, usually in the $4-6 range for the kinds of movies you’re probably looking for (but I’m in Texas, which might be a different ball game).

Definitely check garage sales. I sold all my DVDs awhile back for $1 apiece – I ripped them all to iTunes and can stream them through my Apple TV, so I didn’t need the physical discs anymore. I would also try the used DVD store you mentioned; you might find better prices there than you think.

Also, Walmart has DVDs on sale all the time for five bucks. Some of them are crap but every now and then I find great ones in the bunch.

We don’t have a Walmart close by, (shocking isn’t it), but there is one near our house in NC. I’ll check it out the next time I’m there. Our neighborhood typically holds a community yard sale in the spring. I’ll check that out too.

I’ve found some of the best videos at our local library’s used book room. DVDs (plus VHS, if you’ve still got a regular VCR around) are a buck. I’ve found everything from Gone with the Wind to Puss in Boots. Oh yes, and tv series, too. (I just bought a year of Frazier and a season of NCIS — we don’t have cable, and the Denver area mountains pretty much trap out regular television for us.)

Did you read this post last month on Get Rich Slowly? I’ve never done this, but the poster said they had gotten damaged DVDs replaced for very little money, just by sending them back to the movie company. It might be worth a try for you.

A Netflix account would be best. People are already familiar with it. Even though it may not have the newest selections, it does have some great beach/summer/vacation classics. Plus, the renters probably already know their favorite movies & tv shows available.

Personally, I do not like most popular movies and would rather have the wide (albeit not “hottest”) selection on Netflix than a small selection based on someone else’s interests.

Interesting point Leslie. I would consider buying three months of Netflix (the three rental months) so renters could have a wider selection of movies available. I’ll definitely chat with my husband about that. In the long run it might be cheaper to take that approach.

My family has rented different houses in the OBX for the last 3 years, and we definitely enjoyed the houses with a large selection of DVDs and games. I wouldn’t say they have to the hottest new releases, but a nice mix of old and new. Two years ago we had a very rainy day and enjoyed watching all the Indiana Jones movies that day — the house had at least 200 DVDs and it was a nice treat.